Kushiro wetland

KUSHIRO, Japan - File photo taken in February 2014 shows red-crested white cranes in the Kushiro wetland, Japan's largest marshland, on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido. The Environment Ministry said in a report released May 23, 2014, that the annual economic value of wetlands and mudlands across Japan, including the Kushiro wetland, is estimated at 1.4 trillion to 1.6 trillion yen (about $13.8 billion to $15.7 billion) in such forms as water purification and supply of foods.